To anyone who has had their bicycle stolen, should know the feeling of losing not only their ride to get from place to place, but a machine that they often have a relationship with and have been with through the ups-and-downs of life. There are various locks on the market, but many can be a bit unwieldy and on the heavy side or not secure enough for particular needs.
There will be a new lock with smart features, however, that should appeal to those who want a digital solution to the problem. Velo Labs has decided to embrace the Internet of Things with the Skylock. Skylock will be a Bluetooth-connected lock that automatically unlocks as cyclists walk to their bikes.
The lock itself looks like any standard metal or aluminum lock, but the convenience of not having to look for keys (or risk losing them) and have to remember lock combinations is what makes it stand out.
"We thought that a connected bike lock would really generate the next generation bike share platform," says Jack Al-Kahwati, one of the lock's inventors.
The idea is to create a shared bike lock that would eliminate the need for many users to carry locks on them along with their own sets of keys and whatnot. The lock also comes with some nifty features, beyond just convenience.
It can power itself with a built-in solar cell. It seems to somehow recognize or work with a smartphone, but it can work without one as well, reports indicate. Another interesting feature it will come with is a smart-lock theft alert. This alert pings users when their bike is being messed with or moved without their consent. Also, a crash detection will be included that watched for accidents with the use of a built-in accelerometer. The lock will even send out push notifications to users' smartphones and call emergency response to the bike's location if the owners don't respond.
It seems it is tailor built for anyone who lives in a city like San Francisco where bike thefts are common or anyone who really has an expensive and top-of-the-line bike they want to make sure they keep.
Velo Labs touts three things as key in a smart lock: security, convenience and safety. It has designed the lock with these three concerns in question from the get go. The smart-lock does not come cheap, however. It will set users back $250, although right now the company offers it on sale for $159. Cyclists can pre-order one from Velo Labs' website.
